Photographing Childrenby Harry Cutting

I am
stating the obvious when I say children are high energy, active photo
subjects. Yet many photographers seem to forget this. Barking commands
and shoving children into awkward positions they click away oblivious
to their subject's temperament. The air quickly goes out of the
situation and we've all seen the photographic results: sour faced kids
with body postures that say, "I'm so sick of this." Photo
details > picture at right

When photographing children you've
got to keep it moving, make it fun and yield to their character. This
article will teach you tips and tricks that will make your children
photos worthy of their place on the frig, shelf or wall. Photo
details > picture below

TOPICS COVERED:

> Locate your background

> Tricks and props

> Proper equipment

> Anticipate the picture

FIND YOUR BACKGROUND -
BEFORE YOU START

When photographing children locate
your "photo spots", your backgrounds - before you begin. Scout the area beforehand, alone if
possible. If the location atmosphere needn't be in the photo then try
to locate areas with plain backgrounds such as the sides of buildings,
in front of hedges and trees and large empty expanses. Choose places
where you can control the situation. Avoid areas that would distract
your subjects. For example, if filming at the beach, locate a photo
spot that doesn't have the children looking onto the beach. Kids love
the water and soon they will be irresistibly pulled to it - and away
from you, the photographer. Photo
details

Sometimes though you may want to
include some background features to show "atmosphere" - if you're at a
theme park, for example. Try arranging your subject(s) around a
distinctive sign post or statue instead of attempting to show a jumbled
background scene. Get in the habit of pre-arranging this all in your
imagination, before the picture. Always be on the lookout for good
picture locations. Always be asking yourself - where's the best light?
where's the best background? Where is my best picture spot? Photo
details > picture below

Of course, you won't always be able to
pre-arrange your backgrounds. Often you'll be flying by the seat of
your pants, making it up as you go. For me this usually works out to be
the most enjoyable technique. In these cases you need to develop your
instincts for what would make a good background, and where you'll
likely find it. When I first enter an unfamiliar photo situation my
mind and senses launch into overdrive. I quickly locate the location of
the sun, buildings, clumps of trees, vehicles. Then I compute where I'm
likely to find good bright shade: the sides of tall buildings are often
good, especially if they face a brightly lit street scene. Once you've
found your spots lure your subjects there and try some of the tricks
below.

PROPS TRICKS & GIMMICKS

In my experience children have
what could be described as a "sadistic sense of humor". Or maybe it's
just an enhanced appreciation of slapstick. Either way, it's a
photographer's gift. This photo was taken at the end of a
long morning session. I'd already taken many useful pictures; somber
poses, children in pairs, straight-on portraits. But the energy had
drained from the children. They were bored.

Yet I still needed the most
important picture; all three children together, upbeat expressions. I
quickly arranged them against a brick wall facing a brightly lit
parking lot. Whining ensued, "Aren't we done yet."
Disaster.... until I began smacking my head with my hand and feigning
great pain. Laughter and cheers. Click, click. Seriously, this is my
number one child photography trick. Photo
details

Another trick, or prop, that works
well with children is to ask for help with setting the camera controls.
Let them run over and set the exposure dial. Then set it back to your
preference before taking pictures. If you're using a digital camera you
can also show them your results on the glass screen. Take a few oddball
photos to throw into the mix so you don't bore them.

A handheld light meter is another
useful children photography tool - as much a boredom reducer as a
practical photography device. Often I'll position it up close to a
child's face and ask another child to press the button. Then, after
pretending to evaluate the reading, I'll laugh or make a face and scoot back to my camera and make a big fuss about
how "these photos will be pretty weird".

If the energy is running low and
you really want to liven things up, have the children run at you
repeatedly while you click a few shots (after pre-focussing, and
holding that focus, on a spot about ten or twelve feet away). Don't
forget to brace yourself.

Also, flat out ask your child
subject(s) to do some acting for you. Select out a child and ask if she
can act sad, then happy, then sad again, as if she were just grounded
for a week. Usually there soon evolves a kind of contest to see who can
act the saddest, or show the most teeth when they smile. Kids love to
act and they're naturals at it.

Lastly, keep your camera low for
most straight-on or portrait children photos. Try to film at children's
eye level. But add some spice to your photos, too, by using different
angles. Try seating kids, or a single child, on the ground and have
them look up while you stand and aim your camera down. Photo
details > picture above

USE SIMPLE &
COMFORTABLE EQUIPMENT

You'll want to concentrate on
making pictures, not fumbling around with complicated or unfamiliar
equipment. Simple, straightforward gear is the way to go. No matter
what camera you use you'll need one with the least possible
lag time between the pushing of the shutter button and the picture
actually being taken. This is often referred to as "shutter lag".

If
you're contemplating buying a new
camera be sure to check this statistic; you want as low a number as
you can afford. Digital cameras, especially point and shoots (P&S),
had notoriously long shutter lag even a few years ago. Most digital
cameras sold today (mid-2009) have vastly improved shutter lag times.
But still, check it out because not all models have improved enough.
Most film cameras, on the other hand, have a nice short shutter delay.
Don't be shy about using a film camera.

As for what type of
camera is best for photographing children: basically anything you're
comfortable with. Well, okay - within reason. As I said above, it
should have a short shutter lag. It should also be fast handling. It
should have simple, intuitive controls. And finally and most
importantly, you should be comfortable with it. The perfect camera for
you could be anything from a high-end SLR with a super fast lens to an
inexpensive point and shoot. So much depends on what you're already
used to.

I usually use a digital SLR camera
with one lens. My favorite lens for children photography is a fast (low
numbered F-stop) zoom of about 28 to 105 mm (35 mm film equivalent).
I'm usually using it in the middle to high end of its range. Often,
though, I end up using a small fast point and shoot. Whatever works.

ANTICIPATE THE PICTURE

In general it's always a good idea
to anticipate the picture. But when dealing with the frenetic qualities
of children, it's imperative. There are really two flavors
of anticipating the picture: one is knowing what situations will likely
lead to good photos, and being totally ready with your camera in those
times or places. Some key times are when kids are eating (especially
eating something sweet or messy), when they are spontaneously fooling
around, when they have just been given "a rest break" and when they are
viewing photos on the screen of your backup digital camera. Be ready. Photo
details

Very often the time between a
perfect photo opportunity and when you actually make the picture is an
eternity. That refers to the second flavor of
anticipating the picture: timing the shot.

Timing the picture is tough
because we think we know when we see what we see,
but that's not quite right. You can't know what you've seen until it's
already happened, and that's too late for a picture. Still, our brains
insist on us clicking the picture that we've just seen. The solution is
simply to speed up our shutter finger. When you're straining to get the
kids to smile, and you're using your best tricks, your best photos will
usually be the first nano-second following your trick. Don't wait. If
you're planning to fake a head slap, for example, use your spare hand
and take the picture a split second after you strike. Those gleeful
smiles are already decompressing after one long second.

Conversely, there are times
when the best picture is actually later than you'd suppose. For
example, when asking a child to do something mildly outrageous, like
making the biggest, toothiest, goofiest smile - the good photo is
usually right after that stunt, when she is laughing and
smiling about her act. Photo
details

One last thing - take lots and
lots of pictures. Take more pictures than you think could possibly ever
be needed. When the goings good and everything's working, take lots of
pictures, different poses, the same poses, individual children, pairs
of children, everything. When you think you've gotten just what you
wanted, double up. Redundancy is a photographer's best friend. Later,
when you weed out the reject pictures, you may be surprised at how few
good ones remain.

Photographing children is great
fun, rewarding, sometimes frustrating and makes for a good aerobic
workout, all at once. There are probably easier ways to make good
photographs of children than what I've talked about here. If I knew
what they were I'd gladly tell you. But try it my way for awhile and
see if your children photos don't improve.